The bitter smell of the medicine lingered in their nostrils, giving them a bitter taste that went straight to their hearts. Wang Xuan frowned slightly, clearly disliking the smell.
Logically speaking, someone like him, who has reached this position, would not openly display his joys and sorrows. However, knowing that Yuwen Wuji was deeply poisoned and did not have much time left, and that all of this was his own scheme, he couldn't help but become a little arrogant.
But upon entering the inner hall, a landscape screen depicting towering mountains stood in the center, and the ministers could only see a few blurry figures behind it.
Wang Xuan was even more dissatisfied. How could he confirm the Emperor's condition without seeing it with his own eyes? Although he was very confident, what if something went wrong?
"This old minister pays his respects to Your Majesty!" Several Grand Secretaries bowed in unison.
"Ahem, rise, please take a seat." Yuwen Wuji's weak voice came from behind the screen. Although it was a bit weak, the tone was focused, so it was clear that he was not particularly weak.
Wang Xuan's heart sank; he felt there must be something fishy going on. Qingxu had said he had given Yuwen Wuji a sufficient dosage of medicine, so Yuwen Wuji should have fallen ill around this time. If it were serious, he would have died suddenly; if it wasn't serious, he should have suffered a stroke and been paralyzed in bed, unable to speak.
But why does his voice sound so strong and energetic?
Wang Xuan couldn't figure it out, so he decided to risk it and find out for himself.
"Your Majesty, your old ministers are all worried about your health. We heard that you had a long talk with Prince Xiaoyao last night. How are you feeling now?"
The fact that his own son died, and the first thing he did upon waking up was to appoint someone he had long hated as regent, sounds incredibly bizarre.
"I am in good health. What, does the Grand Secretary not want me to be in good health?"
"That's not what I meant. I was thinking that the fact that His Majesty vomited blood and fainted in the main hall was witnessed by all the officials and had a huge impact. If His Majesty were in good health now, would it be possible to hold the morning court session as scheduled tomorrow? That would alleviate the concerns of the officials."
Behind the screen, King Xuan cursed the old fox in his heart. His elder brother was paralyzed; how could he possibly attend court?
Prince Xuan gave Li Wei a signal, and Li Wei stepped out from behind the screen. He first bowed to Wang Xuan, and then whispered in his ear, "Grand Secretary, I'm afraid the Emperor is unable to rule personally. The Emperor cannot be exposed to the wind now, as he becomes delirious when exposed to it, which is why this screen was placed here."
Wang Xuan sneered inwardly. What do you mean by "cannot be exposed to the wind"? It's probably just a trick they're playing!
He looked like he understood, and then asked, "Your Majesty, are state affairs proceeding as usual?"
Now that there is no crown prince and the emperor is unable to govern, all the power is in the hands of their cabinet. And since he is the Grand Secretary, what difference is there between that and him holding power himself?
But Yuwen Wuji appointed a regent, which Wang Xuan couldn't understand at all. His younger brother, Prince Xuan, was still alive, so why not let Prince Xuan act as regent, but instead appointed Xie Liwei?
There were too many questions Wang Xuan didn't understand, and he wanted to figure them out.
"I will naturally rely on the Grand Secretary for matters of state. My health is not what it used to be, so I have asked Ali to help me share the burden. He has been shirking his duties for the past few years, but he can no longer do so. My imperial decree has been issued, so please guide him in the following matters!"
Not only did Wang Xuan not believe these words, but even the Prince Xuan standing beside him did not believe them. Considering how he had treated Xie Liwei and the Xie family over the past decade or so, there was absolutely no credibility to them.
Wang Xuan naturally had many doubts. He got up and walked to the screen. The screen concealed the person well, so he couldn't see what the person behind it looked like. Therefore, he guessed that the person behind the screen might not be Yuwen Wuji!
Who knows if Xie Liwei was the one lurking behind, trying to steal his peach!
Wang Xuan pushed the screen directly, but... it didn't budge.
Li Wei looked at him and explained with a smile, "Your Excellency, this screen weighs sixty kilograms and requires three eunuchs to carry it. You don't need to worry that the screen will be blown over by the wind!"
Wang Xuan: "......"
I can't stand it!
"Yes, I am worried about His Majesty's health. After all, His Majesty cannot be exposed to the wind now." He pretended to walk back to his seat, but suddenly turned around and, taking advantage of Li Wei's inattention, took three steps to walk behind the screen.
Li Wei was taken aback and tried to stop him, but Wang Xuan had already seen the person behind the screen.
King Xuan leaned on his cane, looking at him with a puzzled expression, seemingly not understanding why he had come over.
Yuwen Wuji lay on the bed, the bed curtains were scattered, and all that could be seen was a reflection on the gauze curtains.
Wang Xuan felt a lump in his throat, unable to exhale properly.
"Lord Wang, is there something important that has happened?"
Wang Xuan composed himself and said, "Your Majesty's health is truly a concern. I cannot rest well today without seeing Your Majesty in person."
Prince Xuan sneered inwardly, but on the surface he still said kindly, "Prime Minister, rest assured, with your younger brother taking care of you personally, I will never let your brother's condition worsen! You see, the imperial physician said he shouldn't be exposed to the wind, so I specially found some silk gauze, which is breathable and windproof!"
Wang Xuan was completely speechless and left with a belly full of anger.
In the afternoon, Xie Liwei entered the cabinet. Several Grand Secretaries were not very happy about his sudden arrival. After all, it was a critical moment in the factional struggle, and the Emperor had sent someone to share power. How could they be happy about this?
However, Xie Liwei not only held the imperial edict, but also had Li Wei, the head of the eunuchs, holding the imperial seal. Even if these people disliked him, they still had to maintain appearances.
Everyone was watching Xie Liwei, waiting to see how this nominal regent would slink off the throne. But to everyone's surprise, the first thing he did after taking power was to reopen the case of the missing crossbows from three years ago.
In this case, Tao Dingbang, the commander of Jianzhou Circuit, had already undergone a secret investigation and was cleared of suspicion at the time. Because no further evidence could be found, the case became unsolved. Now, Xie Liwei has reopened the case, perhaps intending to take the opportunity to eliminate any remaining supporters of Prince Jing.
"This case will be jointly tried by the three judicial departments. A response must be given within ten days, otherwise the officials involved will be treated as accomplices." Xie Liwei smiled and stamped the imperial edict with the imperial seal. The cabinet members all took a deep breath.
How dare you, you brat!
They investigated for so long back then without any results, and now they're only given ten days? How is that possible?!
"Xie Liwei!" Gai Louyu was the first to disagree. "You've never been in power before, how could you understand the difficulties behind this investigation? Are you trying to fabricate a wrongful conviction in ten days?!"
Xie Liwei said indifferently, "Just because Lord Gai is incompetent doesn't mean others are. Proclaim my decree to the world: whoever can handle this case will be promoted two ranks!"
"You're being ridiculous! All officials are evaluated by the Ministry of Personnel. How can you arbitrarily reward or punish them and break the rules!"
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